Category Archives: health

Cultivate your gut

Crossing the street in downtown Colombo I snapped a picture of the pedestrian sign. Looks like the fellow is cultivating his gut.

Posted in authenticity, health, Indian, native american, native press, Native Science, race | Tagged | Leave a comment

Listen to healing

I listened to the medicine men talk about the power of self-persuasion. They agreed that focusing on bad health can sometimes lead to bad health. Your attitude can make a difference and you can set yourself up to indulge in … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, ethics, health, Indian, Lakota, native american, Native Science, neuroscience, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nibbled to Death by Ducks

One of my colleagues said working in university administration is like being nibbled to death by ducks. And this week a world leader said if you’re popular in your job, you’re probably not doing a good job. Result: some poor … Continue reading

Posted in health, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Science Ethics Redux

Henrietta Lacks is back in the news. Lacks’ story captured headlines after Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book revealed the dying mother had her cells removed for science—without her permission. Doctors at Johns Hopkins hospital had tried unsuccessfully to keep alive human … Continue reading

Posted in ethics, health, human origin, journalism, science, science communication, social media, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Making Memories

Exploring how we invent stories—and then stick to them—confounds journalists and scientists alike: how can we separate fictions from fact? I am keenly interested in how we make decisions—especially decisions built on information we gather from media that affect how … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, health, Indian, journalism, neuroscience, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Science Censored

Imagine you could cure a disease but the government refused to allow you to study the data. That’s what happened at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) according to the latest issue of Scientific American. The CDC … Continue reading

Posted in censorship, ethics, framing, health, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Life as a Talk-Show Host

Truth is I live much of my life as a pretend talk-show host. I admit to being a smidge off-center. Like the Seinfeld episode when Kramer’s living room transforms into the Merv Griffin set, I imagine my couch welcomes guests … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, health, journalism, Native Science, news bias, science, science communication, social media, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nit-picking Scientific American

Excited to crack open my first issue of Scientific American. My colleagues in the science writing and science information fields have recommended the magazine to me. So, after receiving a bonus from the web-based superstore Amazon, I traded points for … Continue reading

Posted in framing, health, human origin, journalism, Native Science, neuroscience, news bias, risk, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

We Want it Now

You could distill last night’s lecture into one phrase: Wait for it. Neuroscientist David Eagleman gave a public lecture in Portland on how to better manage the angel and devil on your shoulder when you’re trying to lost weight, quit … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, ethics, health, Indian, native american, Native Science, neuroscience, science, science communication | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

When Research Creates Origami

The New England Journal of Medicine went out on a limb with an editorial that advised readers to let the data speak for themselves. And ignore the funding source. Jeffrey M. Drazen’s September 20 editorial says that a study’s “validity … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, ethics, health, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments